Complete all the questions given and send to my email, undian88@yahoo.com

1. When did the people in the poem return home?
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2. What kind of a setting do you see in the poem, ‘ In the Midst of Hardship’
by Latiff Mohidin?
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3. Describe the conditions of the people in this poem.
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4. Despite the conditions of the people in the above poem, did they give up?
Which line tells you this?
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5. What do you understand by ‘ but on their brows, there was not a sign of despair’?
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6. What natural disaster had occurred to the place?
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7. Name the animal that had gone missing in this poem.
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8. Do you think the people in the poem are rich? Justify your answer with evidence
from the poem?
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9. Why do you think the people are desperately looking for the lost animal?
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10. What is alliteration? Give an example of alliteration from the poem.
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11. Do you think the people here are hopeful and optimistic? Justify your answer.
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12. What can you learn from this poem?
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13. Do you think the poet has chosen a good title for this poem? Give a reason for
your answer.
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14. Do you like the poem? Give a reason for your answer.
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1. The eyes have a lot of functions other than seeing. Explain one function of the eyes that
you know and give an example when that function is being used.
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2. Do you believe in ‘seeing is believing’? Give a reason for your answer and relate it to
the poem “He had such quiet eyes”.
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3. Why do you think the persona in the poem fell for the guy’s quiet eyes? Give a reason
why she likes his ‘quiet eyes’.
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4. How can you help a friend who fell for a person who you know is a pleasure seeking
person? Give a suggestion on how to help this friend.
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5. In the poem there is a phrase “how’s and why’s”. Form a question for each of the
question in the phrase with close relation to the situation of the persona in the poem.
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6. Which one is easier to do, giving advice or listening to advice? Give a reason for
your answer with close reference to the poem.
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Stanza 1
Literal Meaning
When the persona looked into the young man’s sincere-looking eyes, she was deceived into thinking that he needed someone to love. She was not aware that betrayal was second nature to him. His eyes even made her feel compelled to be ‘nice’ to him.

Figurative Meaning
Meeting people and getting involved in a social relationship is part and parcel of life. However, along the way, we may meet two-faced people with ulterior motives. Sometimes, they may come across as so sincere that we innocently accept them as friends or partners.

Stanza 2
Literal Meaning
When the persona was betrayed by the man, she wondered why she had not been wiser. She should have remembered the age-old advice of not believing man blindly. If she had held on to her principles, she would not be asking herself why she had been cheated.

Figurative Meaning
Social relationships can turn sour if one party betrays the other. Hence, one should be careful of the other party’s motives. In any case, do not compromise your principles, as someone who is sincere would not force you into giving up your morals.

Stanza 3
Literal Meaning
The poet advises young ladies to be more careful before getting involved in relationships with men. They must make sure they know then men well. They should learn to differentiate between sincerity and falsehood. They will eventually meet the right man, though they may lose their heats to a few times before that.

Figurative Meaning
It is always good to be cautious before committing to a relationship to avoid serious consequences. You have to make sure you can trust the person you befriend. Do not gamble with your affections, even when you fall in love.

Themes

(1) Strong Moral Values and Self-Respect
The woman in the poem got herself into a difficult situation and was cheated by a man because she gave in to his pleading and his insincere lies. She displayed weakness in her moral standing and lost her self-respect as a result. We should never lower our self-esteem no matter how much we like a man. If a man has respect for the woman he loves, he too would not ask her to do what is morally wrong.

(2) Deception in Appearances
The woman is taken in by the man’s gentle and quiet eyes. She thinks he is a truthful and trustworthy person. The theme in this poem focuses on deception in appearances. Do not judge a person’s character by his appearance. As can be seen in this poem, a gentle and kind-looking man can actually be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

(3) Consequences
When we make mistakes in life, we have to live with the consequences. The persona tells us that the woman is haunted with questions of ‘hows and whys’. She probably asks herself every day how she could have fallen for his lies; how she could have forgotten the moral values instilled in her by her parents; how she could have ignored all the advice given to her by people who love and care about her. She would probably also wonder why she had not been wiser in her choice of men; why she did not see through his deception and insincerity.

(4) Listen to Advice
The poet wants to reach out to all young readers. The woman in the poem wished she ‘had listened to the advice’. She poured out her disappointment, frustration and hurt in this poem and wished she had ‘been wise’. The poet cautions young readers that they should not be impulsive in their actions and they should, above all, listen to the advice of their elders so that they would not end up like the woman – full of regrets.

Moral Values & Lessons Learnt
We sometimes encounter people who have ill intentions towards us.
(1) Avoid Being Deluded by Looks or Appearance
These are con men who prey on young women.
They look nice and decent but have bad motives.
So we should take precaution against them.
We should not judge a book by its cover.

(2) Listen to Beneficial Advice
We are given good advice when others feel that we need it.
We should listen to their advice.
The advice is for our own good.
It prevents us from getting hurt or getting into trouble.

Setting

The poem is set in the present – the world around us now.
It highlights the fact that the people around us are not always sincere.
They may have ulterior motives towards us.
Some have the intention to cheat us.
In the case of the woman in the poem, the man only wanted to have sexual pleasure from her.
However, she saw him as a man in need of love and consolation.
The poem puts forward the need to practise caution when we deal with the people around us.

Why literature?

About Me

Family and Friends come 1st/A Harry Potter Maniac/
Missy Higgins Obsessed/
An Avril wannabe (Once upon a time)/
Have no sense of direction/
A first born/
Quiet unless spoken to/
Snakes are disgusting/
Nicol David an CT are my sisters from another mother ;P/
A Tennis Freak/
Short but taller in many ways/
Running out of words to say/
So.../
Holla if you want more.../